Dot-Commentary: The Winds of Change

Article
From: Products Finishing, Matt Little ,
Online Editor

Posted on:4/1/2001

One of the interesting things about the web is that it is constantly evolving.

One of the interesting things about the web is that it is constantly evolving. As users and technology become more sophisticated, their demand for quality content increases exponentially. For high-traffic, content-based web sites like PFonline, this means that we are always looking for new ways to improve the site and stay a step ahead of the game. That said, I thought I'd fill you in on some changes that have recently been made to PFonline:

Our Front Page—Bigger and Better

The front page of PFonline has been expanded to provide you with more direct access to the latest features, headlines and tools. Also on the front page, we have created special sections highlighting new additions to the site, as well as featured products and suppliers. Given our readers' demand for more content, and the fact that nearly 85% of all Internet users are now using screen resolutions of 800 × 600 or higher*, we felt that this is the ideal time to expand the site.

Clinics

Perhaps the most significant change to PFonline is the addition of our finishing Clinics, previously confined to the pages of the print magazine. We've found that the Clinics are one of the most popular parts of the magazine, so it made a great deal of sense to bring them online where they can be used by our readers even more effectively. In addition to allowing users to search the Clinics by keyword, we've categorized them by industry and process. Our archive of Clinics currently goes back nine months, but will soon be expanded to go back three years.

Online Exclusives

Since January, PF has been developing new monthly content exclusively for the web. In the magazine, we are sometimes limited in how much or how well we can represent a particular product or process. But Internet technology knows no such boundaries. In recent months, we've been able to illustrate processes such as cleaning and waste treatment more effectively with the aid of animation and Flash technology. While you won't find our Online Exclusives in the magazine, we do make it a point to direct the reader to them from the Table of Contents page. Be sure to check out this month's Online Exclusive on Troubleshooting Nickel Plating.

Even More Tools and Resources

In the interest of making PFonline the ultimate resource for all types of finishers, we are constantly adding new tools and resources to the site. The last few months have seen the addition of daily metal prices (courtesy of Metalprices.com), particle size charts for powder coaters and glossaries of finishing terms. Check back with us frequently, as we're always adding new resources.

Even as we put these changes into place, we are already starting to analyze how we want PFonline to look and function in its next incarnation. Our ultimate goal is to make PFonline the most useful resource possible. We would like to hear what you think of these latest changes and of the web site in general. Please feel free to e-mail your questions, comments or suggestions to khand@pfonline.com or by clicking on the "Contact Us" tab on www.pfonline.com.

*Source: WebSnapshot.com, March 1, 2001

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